School rules and nuts

[Bagsalot]

My daughter is 11 yesterday was her birthday. She took an asda tray bake to school with her. She wasn't allowed to share it as apparently some where on the box it says may contain nuts. This has never been an issue before. Today an email came out stating no nuts or seeds allowed in school including lunchboxes. My daughter's in year 6 has been at the school since nursery age 2, this has never been mentioned. I've asked to see the risk assessment. I feel it's an unreasonable policy but possibly I'm being unreasonable

You feel a ban on nuts is unreasonable?

Really?

YABVU (and selfish)

Presumably there is now a child or adult within the school that has an allergy. Most schools around my area are nut free nowadays. It's not that difficult to not send in nut products although I can understand the frustration with the cake as you hadn't been told beforehand.

Our primary school was always nut free. Never had anything about it at secondary school though

The was a girl that died from incorrect packaging and the case was recently in the public eye so it's no wonder places are clamping down.

I think it's a reasonable rule. If someone did have a severe allergy it could awful.

And you don't need to see the risk assessment. You surely know it's a risk.

If your child had an allergy you’d want a no nut ban...it can kill

I thought a ban on nuts was standard in a schools? Certainly is in any I have known, it's no big deal surely

If they have a child or a member of staff in school with a nut allergy then your Asda traybake could kill them.
YABU
And it’s not been a problem before? People move schools, receive a sudden diagnosis and rules have to change.
No nuts is a common policy.

YABU. It doesn't matter how long she's been at the school, new children or staff members with a nut/seed allergy may have joined in the time since nursery or children/staff who have been there for the duration could have developed an allergy.

Preventing someone becoming seriously ill or dying is not an unreasonable policy.

Are you actually serious?

Maybe a child with severe allergy is now at the school. It won’t kill your child to go without nuts - it may kill a child in the school if she doesn’t.

Yabvu

(I work in a nut free building - we have different schools visit every week for residential activities so it’s not a risk we are prepared to take)

Banning everything that “may contain” is OTT. And I speak as someone with anaphylaxis to nuts.

I have never sent anything into school with nuts in. Why would you?

You don't need to see the risk assessment. Most schools are nut free these days.

They're really not being unreasonable.

Yabvu. Obviously it is now a risk to someone.

Also it's a pain for teachers to stop teaching and dish out a cake up to 30 times a yr.

Banning is nuts. Excuse the pun.

The world isn't nut free, those with an allergy have to learn to cope and carry an epi pen.

Where do you draw the line though... do you ban anything and everything that MAY contain anything and everything that ANYONE may be allergic to?

So many things say that they may contain traces of nuts, it would be impossible to eliminate all of them

I don’t think a no nuts rule is unreasonable at all in a primary school. Our (primary) school has always been nut free. Secondary school is a little trickier as obviously the children are older and can (hopefully) take additional precautions themselves to prevent accidental exposure. However, if a child had a serious enough allergy that even being near nuts could cause anaphylaxis then as a parent I’d be perfectly happy with a secondary school ban too.

We had a child at nursery who suffered an anaphylaxis after being in the same room as a tiny drop of spilt yogurt. Of course it was fine for the nursery to ask for no dairy to be brought into school. Ds3 has a history of anaphylaxis although luckily to a relatively unusual source and it’s a horrible, horrible thing to see.

Ditto @Mrwolftellsthetime. It is blanket rulings like this that cause problems for real allergy sufferers in my view. Something that contains nuts, fair enough. Virtually everything ‘may conrain’ Though. It is back covering.

You can choose not to be an asshole over this, there is clearly now a child at school who has a serious allergy. Don't be the twat that thinks your child's right to eat cake is more important. You can feed her whatever you want at home.

The world isn't nut free, those with an allergy have to learn to cope and carry an epipen

And they can be careful where they go. So probably avoid restaurants that serve satay sauce for example.

But - they have to attend school. So it's easier for the school to manage the risk. And it's no big deal to not have peanut butter sandwiches or peanut bars.

You do realise that epipens aren't always enough, don't you?

That's kind of the point of a risk assessment MakeAHouseAHome - the best way to mitigate a risk will depend on the circumstances, who is allergic, what they're allergic to, how strong the reaction is.

Oh and just to explain Epipens and similar. Please don’t think they’re a magic bullet. You don’t use one and magically get better. It buys you time to get to hospital. Hopefully. It might not even do that much. So it’s not a case of “well if you have allergies just carry an Epipen.” I wish it could be that simple.